FORMER Town favourite Tom Cowan has returned to Scotland to sign a one-year contract with Premier League club Dundee.

FORMER Town favourite Tom Cowan has returned to Scotland to sign a one-year contract with Premier League club Dundee.

The 33-year-old started his career at Clyde and had a spell with Rangers before heading South to play for Sheffield United, Town, Burnley, Cambridge, Peterborough and York.

Cowan, who made 155 appearances, scoring nine goals, for Town between 1994-99 and played in the Survival Trust match in May, was released by York at the end of last season.

He will be back-up for Argentinian left-back Jonay Hernandez, and boss Jim Duffy explained: "Hernandez is really our only natural, left-sided defender and, now he has been called up to the Venezuela squad, we have to think about whether or not he is going to be missing games in the future because of internationals."

Cowan's opponents this season could include ex-Town midfielder Lee Makel, who is at Livingston.

Another ex-Town midfielder, Grant Johnson, has left Montrose for Brechin.

The Division I newcomers have paid £10,000 for the 31-year-old, who has signed a two-year part-time contract.

Johnson was signed by Peter Jackson in his first spell in charge at Town, with a £90,000 fee paid out to Dundee United in November 1997.

He played 76 games, scoring six goals, before leaving in the 2000 close-season.